It’s over a year since we first went into lockdown in the UK. In recognition of the recent #nationalreflectionday I wanted to mark the occasion by acknowledging what the last year has meant for me.
In March 2020, I was just six months into my self-employment journey. Almost overnight, the small number of projects I was working on was paused or cancelled. Ineligible for government support, I found myself worried for the first time in my life. It gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to be unemployed, experiencing some of the same challenges I have supported other people throughout my career.
For the first six months or so, it was extremely hard. I channelled my energy into generating new business but when it didn’t come my mental health suffered. I found myself making comparisons with others and feeling like a failure. There were times when I wondered if my business would make it.
Eventually, I looked inward and reminded myself of the reasons I had taken the leap into self-employment in the first place. Only a year earlier I was fortunate to go on a life-changing mission trip to Uganda which helped me reconnect with my real purpose of making a positive impact on people’s lives. That experience was the catalyst for me to want to set up a business, and a small charity project back out in Uganda. Whilst the pandemic had delayed the growth of my business, I knew my purpose hadn’t changed.
So I made a plan, I networked and worked hard, and I’m proud to have rebuilt my business from the ground up. I’ve learned the power of purpose, the importance of trusting your gut, and the value of connection. I’ve broken down my goals, focused on my mental health, and somehow managed to run 100km in a month! Yes, I’ve made mistakes along the way and I undoubtedly have more to learn – but every day I stand up to be the best that I can be and to impact the lives of others.
As I reflect on the end of a busy start to this year and how different that feels to one year ago, I feel proud of how far I’ve come. I’m proud to still be standing, amongst other women-founded businesses at this time. I’m privileged to have supported many businesses and charities, leaders and teams, in the last year, to do their important work. Impact People & Change is a culmination of the experience I’ve gained throughout my career – and I’m confident that it will become a platform for my team and me to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I know there’s much more hard work ahead, but I’m excited about what my business will become.
Looking forward, I’m honoured to be working with many great leaders and teams in mission-driven organisations, enabling them to realise their potential through our coaching and workshops. I’m delighted to be continuing to support a network of brilliant leaders from the social and healthcare sector. As a business we’ve got exciting plans to play a part in driving social change, through the delivery of programmes that will tackle unemployment and promote active citizenship. Initially we’ll be focusing on our role as a Kickstart Gateway, supporting small businesses to create new work experience opportunities for young people. In many ways it feels like this pandemic has brought my career full circle, having started out delivering employability programmes to raise young people’s aspirations.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my business in the last year.
If you’d like to explore what we could achieve together, I’d love to hear from you.
Natasha x